goddamngrenades | OPEN POST

"They'll get over it." He pulls himself up, tugging Wash along. Carolina paints herself along his back as soon as he's standing and, um. Hi? Hi. "...Right this has become foreplay, hasn't it?"

Wash lets himself be pulled up, and plasters himself against York's side at the same time as Carolina presses up behind him. They're remarkably in tune when they want to be, and York is something they're united on.

Carolina leans in and brushes her lips against his ear. "Just a bit."

"We're gonna have to work on that." A little, maybe, as he buries his face in the side of Wash's neck, pressing a soft kiss there. Treating him gently after all the rough pinning and bruising of the session. "Gotta make these lessons last longer than an hour, you know."

Wash shivers at the kiss and tilts his head to give York better access. Mmm, that feels good.

"Well, we know that you have stamina," Carolina says.

"Mhmm-" Okay they need to move. "Room. Double time."

They did good, they get a reward. That's how he'll frame it.

Wash blinks at him. "But it's only lunchtime." If it's even been that long. He's been too focussed on York and on what they're doing.

"You've never heard of an afternoon quickie?" He tips his head back enough to look Wash in the eyes, brows lifted. "We'll be back out for range time and knife work after we eat and do whatever."

Hanging out in the mess isn't really an option at the moment.

Wash shakes his head. "Never had time. I was on the front lines and then in the Project..." Well, York knew what that was like. "And afterwards... just never came up." He hadn't really thought about sex until York had shown up. It had seemed so unimportant.

"That is a little sad, buddy." Walking back to their rooms when them tangled up with him isn't easy- but it's a challenge he's happy to face. Nevermind the looks the guards give him, they're just jealous because York? Has all of them all to himself.

Even if he's of two minds. One half of him does wanna pin and bite and take-

The other wants to not encourage work time becoming fuck time and instead just curl up with them both for awhile, play with their hair, and tell them he's glad they're working with him. Decisions decisions.

"It's not sad!" Wash protests. "I just... always had more important things to do. Like not dying. And before Freelancer I never liked anyone enough." He'd got on with the other soldiers he'd worked with, but not enough to want to fuck them.

He stays leaned up against York's side though as they make their way back to the room. He kicks the door closed once they're inside and leans back against it. Being watched constantly is not fun. He's tired of it. Even at the worst times with Charon, the rebels had been some form of escape.

"Less the 'not fucking' thing and more the self induced isolation thing. It kinda happens when you're trying not to die." He's been there, done that, didn't much like it. But now they're here and they got a bed and- okay. Second choice is the winner here. He herds them both in, flips up the comforter and toes off his shoes, tugging them to the bed.

it takes a little bit to get situated, tucking Wash in the middle for now, he and Carolina curled up on either side. "There we go."

Okay, he can't actually argue with that. "It's easier," he admits. "Just not getting attached to people. Felt safer. Better to squash my feelings." Pretend they weren't there. And if York hadn't got to him, hadn't managed to break him out of that... things would probably a whole lot worse right now. Easier maybe. But probably worse.

He crawls into bed, letting York drag him close, and lets out a pleased sigh when Carolina presses up against him.

"People need people." Even if just the security of knowing another human being is nearby if you need help. Here? they all pull together, tangle in close, arms around waists, faces pressed into hair. Wash tucked up against his chest and a hand on Carolina's hip and it feels...right.

Feels like they were meant to be here. "You got us, now."

It's warm and comfortable. More than he deserves. He never dreamed that this was possible. It doesn't entirely feel real if he's honest. It's going to take some time to sink in.

He presses his face against York's shoulder, feels Carolina's hand in his hair, and lets out a breath. "Yeah. I do." Carolina won't push him to do things for Charon now. York won't let him hide.

"It's gonna be rough, adjusting. But we're not doing it alone." Stepping into a more solid leashership role- being looked to like the kids have been. Ordering shit, bullying those reds and blues into some kind of order-

Agent Fucktruck York, suddenly a hardass. Because he has to be.

Because without that kind of leadership? everyone dies. His people die. Wash and Carolina? Die.

He's lost them once. It's never happening again.

That was something. He wasn't alone anymore. Carolina had always been there but they hadn't exactly supported each other. They'd just worked well together and that had been as much as it was. He'd been scared of her honestly. And now? Now he leans back against her and her grip around him tightens.

"Thank you," he says quietly, mumbling it against York's shoulder.

"We'll take a short break and head out for one on two training. Run some courses, do some range time. Get used to listening to one another." Get him used to calling the shots, them used to offering their opinions if they need to without fear of that fucking chair.

Baby steps. But they'd enough of a mess of Hargrove's last base to have earned some time.

"We listen to you," Wash says quickly. He listens to York. He'll listen to him whatever he says. He's already proved that he doesn't make good choices and he can't be trusted on his own. So he'll listen to York.

Carolina nods. "It would be good to get back out onto a training course again."

"I know you do. But in the field old habits might kick in. We need to be able to check in with each other- we were trained to be able to make our own judgement calls, to improvise." At least in the project. He combs his fingers through Wash's hair, murmuring against his temple. "We'll be alright."

Working things out- probably won't take as long as he thinks it will, but giving them something of a larger window with the Feds is for the best.

More time for people to see them working together, to know what an asset they now have.

He had a point. Carolina had been his boss for a long time so shifting that mindset was going to take some work. And he's been working mostly alone on Chorus too. As long as the job got done, Control didn't care how he did it. "I know," he says, managing a small smile. "It's just a lot to relearn. A lot of older stuff to override."

Lots of work to do.

"We'll get through this. Do the work. Make it right." Then the beach. Wash in the sun, Carolina on the porch. Him in a hammock and nothing else. No more fighting. No more war. Just. One last push through whatever Hargrove is doing and they can be done.

But they have to be thorough. Crush him here, advance to the next line of defense. And then ext. And the next. It'll take awhile.

Carolina nods her agreement. "We'll record everything we can. Everything bit of information we can." They know things. They know Hargrove's bases, his forces. At least some of them. It's just a matter of whether they can actually tell him.

York nods, nuzzling into Wash's hair, fingers curled gently around Carolina's waist. He has both of them for now. For as long as they hold this together. A possessive little twist in his gut demands it's more an 'always' than 'as long as possible' and...he'll hold onto that. They're his. Not Hargrove's, not Charon's.

It makes training a little more difficult when demonstrating hand to hand. If needed, yeah, he could put them down hard but- pushing too much, demanding too much- learning the nuances of being the One In Charge is a bitch.

But they're patient with him. Gracious even if he fucks up.

He makes a pleased sound, eyes dropping closed. It feels nice like this, feels like he belongs here. Belongs here with York, more than anywhere else. It feels for a moment like everything will be fine as long as they're together.

"He didn't think he needed to hide things from us," Wash says quietly. "And we know about at least some of his forces."

"Anything you can tell us? Is useful." They can flip the whole damn plan on him. Wipe out Hargrove and his men. Chase them off the planet- hound them till they're out of the galaxy and then?

Start on breaking the man down little by little, salting and burning the earth behind them It's a vicious thought- and yet? He cannot help but have it. But need it as repayment for how badly Hargrove had hurt HIS people.

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notyourrookie - 2017-02-02 01:09 (UTC) - Expand